Another Former Russian Intelligence Officer Poisoned in the UK (21) – Addendum

In contemporary parlance, the Russians are butthurt. There is no way to blame others where Russia does not look like they are unfairly blaming others. There is no way to deflect the blame without looking guilty. There is no way to claim innocence when Russia looks guilty as sin.

So Russia is going to take the offensive and expel a boatload of diplomats, claiming to be a victim, their fallback position. With 60 Russia diplomats/spies expelled, the US stands to lose the most. In the end, the loser is still Russia.

Plain and simple, Russia is going to howl up a hurricane, but the rest of the world is going to keep its message simple. Russia assassinated people outside Russian territory. For that Russia has to pay for its arrogance, for its history of provocations, and for its inability to tread lightly.

The kind of nuance-free Russophobia represented by the response to the Skripal case bolsters the president, says writer, broadcaster and stand-up comedian Viv Groskop. Those of us outside Russia have to be careful we don’t collude with this thinking. Over the past weeks I’ve been reading a flood of social media posts by Russians deeply upset at being portrayed as robotic ultranationalists hell-bent on polonium-poisoning the world into submission. They find this laughable and ridiculous but also insulting. A friend was asked, in all seriousness, “Is this what Russians do when they argue? Poison each other?” Russians at home and abroad resent the fact that people can’t seem to distinguish between “Russia” and “the security services”.

The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives said President Donald Trump made the “right call” in deciding to expel dozens of Russian diplomats in response to the poisoning of a Russian ex-spy on British soil.

U.S. Congressman Paul Ryan, the speaker of the House of Representatives, spoke on a wide range of Russia-related topics in an interview with RFE/RL senior correspondent Carl Schreck in Prague on March 26. Ryan discussed the expulsion of dozens of Russian diplomats by the United States, Canada, and the European Union, the impact of sanctions on Russia, and the investigation run by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

U.S. Congressman Paul Ryan, the speaker of the House of Representatives, told RFE/RL that the White House’s decision to expel dozens of Russian diplomats was “the right call” and a gesture of solidarity with Britain, Canada, and other European allies. Ryan spoke in an interview with RFE/RL Senior Correspondent Carl Schreck on March 26.

The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday said the Trump administration’s response to the poisoning of a former Russian spy makes the president’s reaction to Russia’s election inference “even more bizarre.”

By expelling Russian diplomats and making the Kremlin close its Seattle consulate, Donald Trump made the right choice and acted in line with Washington’s European allies. But this was a forced outlier, not the norm.

By ANDREW RETTMAN BRUSSELS, TODAY, 17:58 EU and Nato allies on Monday (26 March) expelled dozens of Russian diplomats in reaction to the chemical weapon attack in the UK. Fourteen EU countries, including France and Germany, as well as Nato members Canada and the US, took the coordinated step. The Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland,…

Russian consulate in Seattle will be closed and 60 diplomats will be deported to ‘make U.S. safer’ ■ 14 EU nations join in, from France and Italy to Poland and Lithuania ■ Russia vows symmetrical response

The total is now over 100 Russians are persona non grata from 18 different nations. This is Russia’s most serious diplomatic problem since the end of the Cold War. </end editorial> Monday, March 26, 2018 WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The Latest on the diplomatic fallout over the nerve agent attack on an ex-Russian spy in Britain…